Dumbell bar with two transverse handles

ABSTRACT

A training device having a beam ( 1 ), weight receptacles ( 2 ), and two handle attachments ( 3 ), which extend in a transverse direction in relation to the beam ( 1 ) and each comprise a handle part ( 4 ), is described. To design a training device of the type described at the outset in such a way that the risk of injury is avoided without an increase of the construction expenditure accompanying this, it is proposed that weight receptacles ( 2 ), on the side of each of which facing away from the beam ( 1 ) a handle ( 8 ) is rotatably mounted around the longitudinal axis of the handle attachments ( 3 ), are provided on the side of the handle attachments ( 3 ) opposite to the beam ( 1 ).

TECHNICAL AREA

The invention relates to a training device having a beam, weightreceptacles, and two handle attachments, which extend in a transversedirection in relation to the beam and each comprise a handle part.

PRIOR ART

Training devices, in particular barbells, which comprise two extensionsextending transversely in relation to a beam, are already known. In thiscase, the extensions represent shoulder rests for support (U.S. Pat. No.4,274,628A). However, this has the disadvantage that the barbell has tobe grasped in the overhand grip, whereby an unnatural, pronated hand andforearm position occurs, in which the wrists are strongly strained. Inaddition, there is an increased risk of falling and injury, since theuser can be brought out of equilibrium in the event of even small centerof gravity displacements of the device, since due to the predeterminedposition of shoulder girdle, hands, and weights along the same line ofaction, effective balancing movements are not possible.

Embodiments are also known from the prior art, in which the extensionsextending transversely to a beam are formed as handle parts (U.S. Pat.No. 4,863,158A). However, this is also linked to the disadvantage hereof not being able to perform rapid and joint-protecting positiondisplacement of the arms. Together with the arrangement of the weightson extensions extended in the longitudinal direction of the beam andaccording to the above statements, this also contributes to an increasedrisk of injury.

Moreover, the guide elements displaceable on the beam, by which thehandle parts can be fixed at the desired distance in relation to oneanother on the beam, are subjected to a high torque load due to thedesign. Since the friction-locked connection between guide elements andbeam can suddenly loosen, a risk of injury to the user also exists here.

A training device having a beam, weight receptacles, and two handleattachments extending in a transverse direction in relation to the beamand each comprising a handle part is described in US2010056347A1. Thetraining device disclosed therein moreover comprises forearm supportsand is exclusively conceived for abdominal exercises, which are to beperformed while lying on the back. In addition, U.S. Pat. No.9,005,087B1 discloses a training device for leg exercises, having a beamresting on the neck and shoulder girdle of the user and having weightreceptacles. The training device comprises handles in this case, whichare arranged at hip height of the user during usage of the device andare grasped by their hands, preferably in the underhand grip. However,the training devices disclosed in US2010056347A1 and in U.S. Pat. No.9,005,087B1 have the disadvantage that exercises such as shoulderpresses, for example, which require a wrist-protecting displacement ofthe arms of the user and the secure holding of the training device in anoverhead position, cannot be carried out reasonably or only with a highlevel of stress of the wrist due to the design, because of which in thecase of such training devices, an increased risk of injury of the userexists in particular in conjunction with overhead exercises, and/orinadvertently letting the training device fall during the execution ofsuch overhead exercises. The invention is thus based on the object ofdesigning a training device of the type described at the outset so thatthe risk of injury is avoided, without an increase of the constructionexpenditure accompanying this.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention achieves the stated object in that weight receptacles, onthe side of which facing away from the beam a handle is rotatablymounted in each case around the longitudinal axis of the handleattachments, are provided on the side of the handle attachments oppositeto the beam.

In order that the training device can be balanced out well by the user,so as not to lose the equilibrium in the event of small center ofgravity displacements of the device, hands, weights, and beam are notsupposed to be located in the same line of action if possible, namelythe longitudinal axis of the beam. For this purpose, hands and weightsare spaced apart from the body of the user in a transverse direction inrelation to the beam, because the two handle attachments are applied inthe transverse direction to the beam. For example, the training deviceaccording to the invention can be designed to be U-shaped, wherein thetwo handle attachments form the U legs protruding transversely from thebeam as the base leg. Because weight receptacles are formed on the sideof the handle attachments opposite to the beam, the center of gravity ofthe subject matter of the invention is displaced in the direction of thehands and is located in a plane between body and hands of the userduring a typical use of the training device. As a result, balancingmovements can be executed effectively and without great effort, wherebythe risk of injury due to an equilibrium loss is avoided in the event ofsmall center of gravity displacements. In order to avoid a harmfultransverse force action on the wrists in the event of larger center ofgravity displacements, hands, wrists, and forearms have to be able to bepositioned rapidly and at any time along the same load path. Moreover,the respective center of gravity of the weights is supposed to spatiallycoincide with the arrangement of the handle parts or at least be locatedin the immediate vicinity thereof. For this reason, it is providedaccording to the invention that the handles are rotatably mounted on theweight receptacles, specifically rotatably around the handle parts.Therefore, forces can be absorbed in the best possible manner by theuser, even or in particular also if the hands are located at differentheights in relation to one another. Moreover, the design according tothe invention not only permits the training device to be able to beraised from the shoulder girdle if necessary and held in an overheadposition, but rather also permits the user to be able to tilt the handleattachments and thus the weights upward like a lever, wherein the beamplaced on the shoulder girdle is used as a type of axis of rotation.Thus, for example, a shoulder press carried out using the subject matterof the invention can also have additional intensity levels, withoutweights having to be replaced. In addition, it is thus also relativelyeasily possible, for example, in the case of leg exercises, to adapt thestrength of the isometric contraction of chest, shoulder, and armmusculature nearly continuously or very generally to carry out an arrayof diverse forms of exercise such as combined arm/leg exercises orarm/abdomen exercises. Due to the arrangement of the weights at adistance from the beam, wherein the two handle attachments connect theweights to the beam, the advantage additionally results that possiblysevere injuries can be avoided if the training device is inadvertentlydropped, because due to the constructive design according to theinvention, a greater distance, specifically corresponding to the lengthof the handle attachments, remains between the weights coming to rest onan underlying surface and the beam. This length is therefore preferablyselected so that it corresponds at least to the height of the thorax ofthe recumbent user, so that crushing can be prevented as describedabove. In contrast thereto, in conventional barbells, this distancecorresponds to the radius of the weights used.

To curtail further risks of injury with respect to adjacent persons aswell as possible and to avoid possible damage to floors, storage areas,or walls by the subject matter of the invention, the transition regionbetween beam and handle attachments is curved in each case and is thusfree of sharp corners.

To enable a good force transmission between the weight receptacles orthe weights and the handles and thus to enable a long service life ofthe training device, on the one hand, and be able to replace worn partseasily, on the other hand, it is proposed according to the inventionthat the handle attachments, weight receptacles, and handle parts beintegrally formed and the handles each be removably fastened on thehandle parts. The handles thus secure the weight plates well fixed onthe weight receptacles provided according to the invention, to avoidslipping of the plates and therefore center of gravity displacements. Ifneeded, the handles can be removed rapidly to take away or add weightplates. In addition, removable handles are accompanied by the furtheradvantage of also being able to be replaced themselves, whereby thetraining device can be adapted to the respective intended exercise viadifferent handle shapes.

If, as mentioned above, one wishes to avoid a harmful transverse forceaction on the wrists even in the event of larger center of gravitydisplacements, the center of gravity of the weights should spatiallycoincide with the arrangement of the respective handle parts or at leastbe located in direct proximity thereto. This can be achieved in that thehandle parts each comprise a removable closure on the side thereoffacing away from the beam, because thus a separate fixation of theweights and/or the handles can be omitted and they can thus be arrangedspatially closer to one another. In one preferred embodiment, the centerof gravity of the weights is even located within the respective palms ifweights can also be inserted into the handle attachments. This can beperformed alternatively or additionally to weights externally attachedon the weight receptacles, wherein it is fundamentally also conceivableaccording to the invention that the weight receptacles are designed forweights internally insertable via the handle parts.

The training device is supposed to be able to be optimally adapteddepending on the shoulder width of the user, without having to usedisplaceable guide elements of the handle parts on the beam in thiscase, to avoid the risk of injury thus resulting. In addition, it isdesirable to be able to perform such a size adaptation easily andwithout great time expenditure, wherein no additional constructiveexpenditure is thus supposed to result. For this reason, the beam of thetraining device according to the invention can comprise two telescopicelements, which are displaceable one inside the other and are fixable inpredetermined positions in relation to one another. Due to thesemeasures, the training device can be adapted very easily to the shoulderwidth of the user, but also to the intended exercise, in that the lengthof the beam and therefore the spacing of the handle attachments inrelation to one another can be varied. Moreover, there is no risk ofinjury as a result of suddenly loosening guide elements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The subject matter according to the invention is illustrated in thedrawing, specifically in a top view of an embodiment of the trainingdevice according to the invention.

WAYS OF EMBODYING THE INVENTION

A training device according to the invention comprises a beam 1, andalso weight receptacles 2 and two handle attachments 3, which extend ina transverse direction in relation to the beam 1 and each in turncomprise one handle part 4. The weight receptacles 2 are provided on theside of the handle attachments 3 opposite to the beam 1, wherein ahandle 8 is rotatably mounted around the longitudinal axis of the handleattachments 3 on the side thereof facing away from the beam 1. In atypical application of the training device according to the invention,the handles 8 are enclosed by the hands of the user and the beam 1 issupported on the neck and shoulder girdle of the user, so that thehandle attachments 3 and the handle parts 4 point in the direction ofvision of the user. The handle parts 4 and handles 8 and thus also thehands of the user are thus spaced apart farther from the body or fromthe beam 1 than the weight receptacles 2 including the weight plates 5thereof. The beam 1 can be enclosed by a cushion 6 to protect thecervical vertebrae of the user.

Moreover, the material strength and the thickness of the cushion 6 canbe selected so that it can also advantageously be used as a spacer, forexample, when the training device is placed without weight plates 5 onthe ground, in order to execute corresponding exercises. The user canaccordingly enclose the beam 1 in each case in a region adjacent to thecushion 6 using the hands and perform push-ups.

Because the two handle attachments 3 each form a right angle with thebeam 1 and the transition region 7 between beam 1 and the handleattachments 3 is rounded in each case, a U-shaped design of the trainingdevice according to the invention results, which is free of sharpcorners. The training device therefore does not represent a risk withrespect to injuries to adjacent persons or damage to walls andinventory.

The handle attachments 3, weight receptacles 2, and handle parts 4 areeach integrally formed. To be able to replace and fix the weight plates5 quickly and easily, the handles 8 are each removably fastened on thehandle parts 4. The handles 8 as such can thus also be replaced easilyif needed.

Moreover, the option exists of also inserting weights into the handleattachments 3 via a removable closure 9 of the handle parts 4 on theside thereof facing away from the beam 1.

To be able to adapt the training device according to the inventionoptimally to the demands and the shoulder width of the user, the beam 1is designed so that it comprises two telescopic elements 10 displaceableone inside the other, which are fixable in predetermined positions inrelation to one another. The length of the beam 1 and therefore thespacing of the handle attachments 3 in relation to one another may thusbe varied. The fixing of the telescopic elements 10 in predeterminedpositions can be performed in this case via a spring pin 11, whichengages in recesses 12 of the telescopic elements 10 provided for thispurpose.

1. A training device comprising: a beam, weight receptacles, and twohandle attachments that extend in a transverse direction in relation tothe beam and each comprise a handle part, wherein a handle (8) isrotatably mounted on each handle part on a side of the weight receptaclethat faces away from the beam so as to be rotatable around alongitudinal axis of the associated handle attachment on a side of thehandle attachments opposite to the beam.
 2. The training deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein a respective curved transition region isprovided between the beam and each of the handle attachments.
 3. Thetraining device according to claim 1, wherein the handle attachments,weight receptacles, and handle parts are integrally formed and thehandles are each removably secured on the associated handle parts. 4.The training device according to claim 1, wherein the handle parts eachcomprise a respective removable closure on a side thereof facing awayfrom the beam.
 5. The training device according to claim 1, wherein thebeam comprises two telescopic elements that are displaceable one insidethe other and are fixable in predetermined positions in relation to oneanother.
 6. The training device according to claim 2, wherein the handleattachments, weight receptacles, and handle parts are integrally formedand the handles are each removably secured on the associated handleparts.
 7. The training device according to claim 2, wherein the handleparts each comprise a respective removable closure on a side thereoffacing away from the beam.
 8. The training device according to claim 3,wherein the handle parts each comprise a respective removable closure ona side thereof facing away from the beam.
 9. The training deviceaccording to claim 6, wherein the handle parts each comprise arespective removable closure on a side thereof facing away from thebeam.
 10. The training device according to claim 2, wherein the beamcomprises two telescopic elements that are displaceable one inside theother and are fixable in predetermined positions in relation to oneanother.
 11. The training device according to claim 3, wherein the beamcomprises two telescopic elements that are displaceable one inside theother and are fixable in predetermined positions in relation to oneanother.
 12. The training device according to claim 4, wherein the beamcomprises two telescopic elements that are displaceable one inside theother and are fixable in predetermined positions in relation to oneanother.
 13. The training device according to claim 6, wherein the beamcomprises two telescopic elements that are displaceable one inside theother and are fixable in predetermined positions in relation to oneanother.
 14. The training device according to claim 7, wherein the beamcomprises two telescopic elements that are displaceable one inside theother and are fixable in predetermined positions in relation to oneanother.
 15. The training device according to claim 8, wherein the beamcomprises two telescopic elements that are displaceable one inside theother and are fixable in predetermined positions in relation to oneanother.
 16. The training device according to claim 9, wherein the beamcomprises two telescopic elements that are displaceable one inside theother and are fixable in predetermined positions in relation to oneanother.